Incumbents endorsed for Carol Stream library

Carol Stream is flush with competition for four, 4-year seats on the library board, which three times unsuccessfully asked voters to OK a new library.

All four challengers say their top issue is to stop referendums and wasteful spending. A critical look at how the board operates, makes decisions and spends money is vital. Challengers have scratched the surface in that process, but have not proven they would make better stewards of the library's mission than the incumbents.

Challengers Michael Wade and David DeRango made the strongest cases, but need to show better grasp of the job and a better effort than attending just a couple meetings in the past 12 months to unseat solid incumbents. Challenger Dominick Jeffrey has attended no meetings in the past year, so we can't consider him a serious candidate. His son, challenger Joshua Jeffrey, did not return calls for an interview.

Rob Douglas, a 22-year incumbent, and Mary Hudspeath, on the board since 2003, have the experience and passion for the library's mission to see it through its current renovation plans and into the future. Thomas Arends and Leslie Shambo, who both joined the board in 2007, cite fiscal responsibility as a top goal. Shambo also would better inform the community of board business, citing better Web postings as an example. All four incumbents are endorsed.